Dear ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross Family and Friends,
When the Brothers of St. Joseph, now the Brothers of ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross, began their education ministry in post-Revolution France in 1820, the simple instructions that they were given as they ventured alone or in small groups of 2-3 was to do all the good they could do, teach students all that they should know, and be disciples with hope to bring. Responding to the needs of the times, the Brothers of St. Joseph worked and ministered with an apostolic missionary zeal to make God known, loved, and served to a world that was broken apart by political divisions, inequities in education, especially for the poor and marginalized, death, disease, distrust, and secularization.
The very foundation of the Congregation of ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross, who in 2020 celebrated the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Brothers of St. Joseph, is the same foundation that inspires my daily witness. I am deeply honored, profoundly grateful, and extraordinarily humbled by the opportunity to serve as the president of the College, especially as the first who is not a ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross Brother or Priest. As my wife Peggy and I move to South Bend, we do so with eagerness and a commitment to follow in the footsteps of those early ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross Brothers—to do all the good we can do, teach our students all that they should know to flourish in life and in their careers, and to be disciples of hope as we walk daily with the zeal to make God known, loved, and served. Rest assured, I pledge to the Congregation of ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross and to all who call ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross home, my commitment to ensuring that our Catholic, ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross mission endures and thrives. As I often say, I may not have C.S.C. after my name, but I do have C.S.C. in my DNA.
My personal journey with ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross began during my high school years at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Maryland, located just outside of Washington, DC. The foundation of service and ministry was built for me during those formative years. I received an outstanding education and was encouraged, inspired, and taught not just how to make a living, but how to live my life as a scholar, citizen, leader, and disciple; possessing the competence to see and the courage to act for a more just world.
Coming to ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross College is like coming home for me. It returns me to the roots of service and ministry that were inspired in me during my adolescence and that I have continued to serve as a ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross leader and educator for the past 25 years. To follow in the footsteps of those who have come before me in leading this great College, from Brother John Driscoll, C.S.C. to Fr. David Tyson, C.S.C, is also a tremendous responsibility; one that I don’t take lightly. The foundation of ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross College is strong, and the future couldn’t be brighter. I’m excited to be able to usher in this new era for this proud College.
Since 1966, ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross College has sought to educate and form students who, as leaders in business, professional, and civic life, would live by the highest intellectual and ethical standards. In service of this ideal, it is my intention to nurture an environment in which integrated learning is a shared responsibility, pursued in the classroom and laboratory, studio and athletic field, through intern experiences, in service and ministry, spiritual formation, and in residential life. Shared responsibility for the life and governance of the College should lead all of us to use our gifts and talents as forces for good in the world, to work together, to be nourished by mutual esteem, trust, respect, and friendliness, to serve others, and to seek justice within and beyond the ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross community. We will do so through the relentless pursuit of excellence in all areas of College life by educating the hearts and minds of our students to be empowered leaders who transform the world.
I look forward to walking this journey with you in the years ahead, and am excited about what the future holds for our students and for the future of ÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± Cross College. I hope to meet all of you very soon. Let’s continue to keep each other in prayer as we build serious scholars, courageous citizens, virtuous leaders, and passionate disciples with the competence to see and the courage to act.
Ave Crux, Spes Unica!
Dr. Marco J. Clark